PLANS to transform one of the region's leading tourist attractions could be given the go-ahead next week.

On Monday, Hartlepool Borough Council's cabinet will be asked to approve ideas for the warship HMS Trincomalee and the surrounding Historic Quay and Museum.

The proposals will mean closer working between the council, which owns the Historic Quay and Museum, and the charity the HMS Trincomalee Trust, which restored and owns the 19th Century warship Trincomalee, which is docked at the quay.

Promoting the Trincomalee and the Quay as a single attraction and creating better visitor facilities and a Trincomalee exhibition are some of the ideas being put forward.

Other proposals for the Historic Quay area include a relocation of the nearby paddle steamer Wingfield Castle.

The plan also includes:

* The Trincomalee staying permanently at the Quay, rather than being moved to nearby Jackson Dock.

* A single ticket system from April, covering entry to the Trincomalee and the Historic Quay.

* Marketing the empty land on the south side of Jackson Dock, next to the Museum of Hartlepool and the paddle steamer Wingfield Castle, with the aim of attracting a private sector developer for a mixed-use development.

* Investigating whether the Wingfield Castle could be lifted out of the water and permanently sited on land as an extension to the Museum of Hartlepool.

Stuart Green, the council's head of planning and economic development, said: "The Trincomalee, the Historic Quay and its associated attractions are the jewels in Hartlepool's tourism crown.

"However, tourism is a highly competitive area, and to stay ahead of the competition, we must always keep improving what we have."

Bryn Hughes, the general manager of the HMS Trincomalee Trust, said: "This is an exciting set of proposals that should reinforce Hartlepool's place firmly on the tourism map by combining the acknowledged strengths of both the Trincomalee and the Historic Quay.